Amphitheatre and Beach Boys on PBS show

Area residents who attended the May 2 Beach Boys concert at the St. Augustine Amphitheatre got a first glimpse of themselves on national television Friday night on the PBS show, Front Row Center.

Friday’s episode, titled “Doin’ It Again,” featured live concert footage from the Beach Boys’ recent St. Augustine show, interspersed with interviews and archival footage commemorating the band’s 50th anniversary.

While the special shown locally on WJCT was no doubt a treat for Beach Boys fans, locals hoping to see footage of the Beach Boys hanging out around the Ancient City were likely disappointed; it just wasn’t there.

A full 12-piece camera crew had documented the Beach Boys (Brian Wilson, Mike Love, Al Jardine, Bruce Johnston and David Marks) around town in the days leading up to the show at the Amphitheatre.

But that footage is being saved for a longer Beach Boys special planned to be nationally syndicated and aired on PBS on a date to be announced, said producer Joe Thomas of HD Ready

The Front Row Center episode was heavy on interviews — some taken with the band as a whole, sitting on the Amphitheatre stage before the show — and recollections of the group’s history, beginning with its formation when they were teenagers in Hawthorne, Calif., just south of Los Angeles.

St. Augustine shows up first with excerpts from the group’s performance of the 1968 hit “Do It Again,” with Mike Love, decked out in bright green slacks and a Hawaiian shirt, getting the capacity crowd — most of whom are on their feet — revved up and dancing. As the camera slowly zooms out, there are some good shots of the Amphitheatre. Many of the people who were up front were likely able to pick themselves out.

After a brief look at the early days, legendary Beach Boys leader Brian Wilson talked about the upcoming St. Augustine performance.

“I think they’re in for a hell of a concert,” Wilson said.

The film cuts right into “Little Deuce Coupe” at the Amphitheatre, and the audience is ecstatic. Other highlights included “California Girls” and “Surfin’ USA,” which really had the crowd moving and featured Love and other band members reaching down and touching audience members.

Thomas, who has worked extensively with Beach Boys leader Brian Wilson, said some of the footage from St. Augustine will also be included in the longer, 2-hour special, “The Beach Boys: Summer’s Gone.” That production will feature never-before-seen archival concert footage, plus songs from the band’s latest album, “That’s Why God Made the Radio.”

“These guys have been doing this for a long time,” Thomas said. “And their market appeal is still very strong, with at least three generations of music fans plugging into it. This really is a celebration.”

Film scouts toured various locations — including the Hollywood Bowl, the Greek Theatre, the Chicago Theatre and Red Rocks Amphitheatre — to find the perfect filming locations for their special. After narrowing it down to the top four, the St. Augustine Amphitheatre was chosen as one of the two venues that were used for filming.